Paul and Lucy Spadoni periodically live in Tuscany to explore Paul’s Italian roots, practice their Italian and enjoy “la dolce vita.”
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Sunday, March 6, 2016

Lucca city elders took the advice of writer/diplomat Machiavelli seriously

The
best defense is a good offense. This axiom has been made famous by
its use in sports, diplomatic encounters and, of course, war.
However, the inhabits of Lucca could make a good point that the best
defense is . . . well, the best defense.

The Baluardo di Santa Croce beckons us to enter.

Anybody who
has visited Lucca has immediately noticed its massive outer walls,
made of brick, stone and dirt. While fiefdoms on all sides of Lucca
were yielding to foreign aggressors before, during and after
Renaissance times, Lucca maintained its freedom and independence
through these turbulent years without actually having to defend
itself, for the simple reason that opposing armies realized that
these walls would be nearly impossible to breach. The Lucchesi made
the task of breaking through the walls more difficult by installing
eleven baluardi, projecting parts of a fortification built at an
angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several
directions, and known in English as bastions.

In
building these fortifications, they could well have been following
the advice of renowned political adviser Niccolò
Machiavelli, who wrote in 1512: “Who fortifies his town well . . .
and looks after his subjects, will never be attacked without great
hesitation, for men are always adverse to enterprises where
difficulties are obvious, and it will be clear it is not to be an
easy thing to attack one who has his town well-fortified.”

Expert guide Elena Benvenuti explains the history of the walls
and the recently reopened bastions of Lucca

Yesterday
Lucy and I heard the story of the walls of Lucca, told by one of the
city’s premier tour guides, Elena Benvenuti. Even better, we were
able to go inside two of the three baluardi which have recently been
reopened for public viewing, San Paolino and Santa Croce. The tunnels and inner rooms are now well lit to
permit visitors to visualize how the spaces could have been used to
store ammunition and fire guns and cannons at invaders. This was the
first time the tour has been offered, and it was entirely in Italian,
so we missed many of the details. However, in the months to come,
Elena hopes to repeat the tour many times and include a version for
speakers of English.

Inside the long tunnels of the Baluardo di San Paolino.

Elena adds interesting details on the
construction process.

Elena
explained that the original city walls were built by the Romans in
the second century before Christ, but when the city expanded in size,
new walls were built outside the Roman walls. The first expansion was
built between 1000 and 1100, and a further extension was added between 1380 and 1420.

The
Renaissance walls that currently surround the city are the result of
the last campaign of reconstruction, launched in 1503 and completed a
century and a half later, in 1650. They were built even further from
the center, so that they enclose remnants of both the Roman and
medieval walls—which can still be seen today, if one knows where to
look.

These
outer walls are the second largest example in Europe of walls built
according to modern principles to have survived completely intact in
a big city. The outer walls of Lucca are 4.195 kilometers long, and
Elena explained how the city elders, fearful of outside aggressors,
required every male citizen ages eighteen to fifty to contribute time
or money for the city’s fortification. It is likely that women and
children also aided in the construction by providing food and other
support, in addition to sometimes working alongside the men.

To read about the special joys of going on top of the wall, click here.More
information about Elena and her tours can be found on Discover
Lucca with Elena.

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First off, before you hassle me about our title, Lucy thought of it. Yes, I know some people may think broad is derogatory, but the etymology is uncertain and she doesn’t find it offensive, and it made me laugh. We have been married since 1974 and are empty-nesters now, which allows me to bring my submerged Italophilia into the open. We first came to live in Italy from February-April in 2011 and have returned during the same months every year. From 2011-2015, we lived in San Salvatore, at the foot of the hilltop city Montecarlo, where my paternal grandparents were born, raised and, in 1908, married. In late 2015, we bought a home in Montecarlo. We come for a variety of purposes: We want to re-establish contact with distant cousins in both Nonno’s and Nonna’s families, we want to learn the language and see what it is like to live as Italians in modern Italy, we like to travel and experience different cultures. Even if we aren’t successful at achieving these purposes, we love Italy and enjoy every moment here, so there is no chance we will be disappointed. I am grateful to God for giving me a wife who is beautiful, clever, adaptable and willing to jump into my dreams wholeheartedly.